“Don't lose courage friend, resist there are many people who love you.
The barriers of the Chiche bridge in Quito are dotted with small messages of support, pasted by anonymous people.
This place is infamous.
It is known to be "a place where people have decided to commit suicide", explains Francisco Viteri, the municipality's health secretary.
On average, it is estimated that two people throw themselves off the bridges of Ecuador's capital each week.
To fight against these desperate acts, the city has set up on-site cabins manned by psychologists, equipped with stretchers and first aid equipment.
Patrols also go back and forth on the bridge to try to prevent suicides.
That's how Sara, a psychologist, managed to save a man's life.
“He was hiding from the cameras,” she explains.
But while patrolling, the response team managed to spot him.
After a few hours of discussions, she managed to prevent him from jumping.
Between May and September, 36 suicide attempts were prevented on the bridges of the Chiche and Gualo rivers.
In Ecuador, which has a population of 18 million, the suicide rate is 6.9 per 100,000 people, the health ministry said.
In 2021, the ministry recorded 1,237 cases, mostly among men.
